Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 2070 is a graphics card constructed for the longer term, identical to the GeForce RTX 2080 and 2080 Ti. And identical to its siblings, the RTX 2070’s futuristic hardware comes at a stiff worth premium.

At a $500 beginning worth and $600 for the Nvidia Founders Version being reviewed right here, the inclusion of devoted RTX hardware bumps the worth of Nvidia’s historically midrange xx70 GPUs up by properly over $100, planting it within the vary of the prevailing GTX 1080. However in contrast to with the RTX 2080, Nvidia isn’t asking you to take a position solely in as-yet-unfulfilled guarantees for the longer term. The GeForce RTX 2070 delivers an considerable bump over the GTX 1080’s efficiency in at this time’s video games, too.

You possibly can nonetheless discover the older graphics card on sale everywhere, although, and sometimes at a reduction. Do you have to purchase a shiny new RTX graphics card, with its untapped potential for real-time ray tracing and AI-enhanced video games, over a less expensive GTX 1080? Let’s evaluate the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Founders Version ($600 at Greatest Purchase and GeForce.com).

Specs, options, and design

Nvidia added devoted RT cores for real-time ray tracing and devoted tensor cores for AI enhancements within the RTX collection, however that wasn’t the one hardware tweak. The GTX 10-series incarnation caught to reference speeds and a blower-style cooler that was susceptible to thermal throttling. This era, Nvidia outfitted its Founders Version playing cards with a light overclock and an improved dual-fan cooling answer to assist justify its worth premium.

Meaning Founders Version specs differ barely from RTX 2070 reference specs. Right here’s how the reference and Founders Version RTX 2070 stack up underneath the hood in comparison with the older $380 GTX 1070 (although once more, at its larger worth level, the $500 RTX 2070 extra instantly compares to the $500 GTX 1080).

Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 and 2070 Founders Version specs vs. GTX 1070.

As you’ll be able to see, the RTX 2070 Founders Version has extra CUDA cores and texture models than its predecessor, in addition to a barely larger increase clock velocity and far quicker GDDR6 reminiscence. Spoiler alert: The RTX 2070 is so much quicker than the GTX 1070 in conventional video games, and even a bit forward of the GTX 1080.

It’ll be quicker in tomorrow’s video games, too, because the RTX 2070 consists of these devoted RT and tensor cores to drastically improve real-time ray tracing efficiency and unlock the power to deliver machine studying enhancements to video games, similar to Deep Studying Tremendous Sampling. Sadly, no present video games faucet into both know-how, although dozens of video games have pledged RTX help.

The shortage of obtainable ray-traced or DLSS video games is a bummer with this graphics card particularly. The RTX 2070 packs half as many RT and tensor cores because the full-fat GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, and we now have no method of testing how a lot that may influence efficiency—so that you’re taking a leap of religion that not solely will these applied sciences catch on, however the RTX 2070 will be capable of deal with them nicely. Fingers crossed.

Whereas we await the primary ray traced and DLSS video games to land, you possibly can learn extra concerning the applied sciences in our deep-dive into the Nvidia Turing GPU in addition to the longer term tech part of our RTX 2080 and 2080 Ti assessment, the place we examined some canned demos offered by Nvidia.

All that additional hardware calls for extra energy, with the reference RTX 2070 requiring 25 extra watts than its predecessor, and the Founders Version demanding 10 greater than that, at 185W. Nvidia recommends utilizing a 550W energy provide. That energy flows to the Founders Version by way of a single eight-pin connector on the very finish of card, quite than the standard edge placement. I often detest that configuration, however it works right here, principally as a result of the Nvidia RTX 2070 Founders Version is so tiny. The 2-slot card measures a mere 9 inches in size, or 1.5 inches shorter than typical graphics playing cards, so hanging the facility connection off the again isn’t a problem.

Aside from the dimensions, the RTX 2070 sticks to Nvidia’s extremely profitable Founders Version redesign. It’s a completely beautiful graphics card, with a cast aluminum shroud that wraps round right into a backplate. Its twin followers bristle with 13 blades every, and you may see the black warmth sink peeking by means of the sting, sitting atop a full-length vapor chamber. You’ll discover twin DisplayPort 1.four connections, an HDMI 2.0b port, DVI-D, and a VirtualLink USB-C connection for VR headsets on the I/O plate. You gained’t discover an SLI/NVLink connector on the cardboard, although—the RTX 2070 isn’t meant to be used in multi-card methods.

Nvidia’s RTX 2070 feels luxurious and substantial. I like it. Take a look at the Founders Version design part of our RTX 2080 and 2080 Ti assessment if you would like deeper particulars. We’re shifting onto benchmarks.

Our check system

Our devoted graphics card check system is configured with a few of the quickest complementary elements obtainable, to place any potential efficiency bottlenecks squarely on the GPU. A lot of the hardware was offered by the producers, however we bought the cooler and storage ourselves.

Every recreation is examined utilizing its in-game benchmark on the highest attainable graphics presets, with VSync, body price caps, and all GPU vendor-specific applied sciences—like AMD TressFX, Nvidia GameWorks choices, and FreeSync/G-Sync—disabled, and temporal anti-aliasing (TAA) enabled to push these high-end playing cards to their limits. If something differs from that, we’ll point out it.

We examined these playing cards at 4K, 1440p, and 1080p resolutions. We put most of our give attention to evaluating the RTX 2070 Founders Version towards the GTX 1080 and Vega 64, as they’re all roughly $500. The GTX 1070 debuted at $380.

Efficiency benchmarks

Unusual Brigade

Let’s kick issues off with Unusual Brigade ($50 on Humble), a cooperative third-person shooter the place a staff of adventurers blast via hordes of mythological enemies. It’s a technological showcase, constructed across the next-gen Vulkan and DirectX 12 applied sciences and infused with options like HDR help and the power to toggle asynchronous compute on and off. It makes use of Insurrection’s customized Azure engine. We check with async compute off.

The RTX 2070 Founders Version is 9.2 % quicker than the GTX 1080 Founders Version at 1440p decision, and roughly the identical velocity because the Vega 64. That’s a development we’ll proceed to see. The 2070 FE is quicker than the GTX 1080 by 9 to 13 % in most video games, although that expands to 20-plus % in a few titles, and simply three % in one other. We’ll spotlight these oddities as we run throughout them.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Shadow of the Tomb Raider ($60 on Humble) concludes the reboot trilogy, and it’s completely beautiful—even the state-of-the-art GeForce RTX 2080 Ti barely manages to common 60 fps with all of the bells and whistles turned on at 4K decision. Sq. Enix optimized this recreation for DX12, and recommends DX11 provided that you’re utilizing older hardware or Home windows 7, so we check with that. Shadow of the Tomb Raider makes use of an enhanced model of the Basis engine that additionally powered Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Far Cry 5

Lastly, a DirectX 11 recreation! Far Cry 5 ($60 on Humble) is powered by Ubisoft’s long-established Dunia engine. It’s simply as beautiful as its predecessors, and much more enjoyable.

Ghost Recon Wildlands

Transfer over, Crysis. Should you crank all of the graphics choices as much as 11, like we do for these exams, Ghost Recon Wildlands ($50 on Humble) and its AnvilNext 2.zero engine completely melts GPUs.

Center-earth: Shadow of Conflict

Center-earth: Shadow of Conflict ($50 on Humble) provides a strategic layer to the collection’ chic core gameplay loop, adapting the Nemesis system to allow you to create a military of personalised Orc commanders. It performs like a champ on PC, too, because of Monolith’s customized LithTech Firebird engine. We use the Extremely graphics preset however drop the Shadow High quality setting to Excessive to keep away from exceeding 8GB of VRAM utilization.

The newest in an extended line of profitable video games, F1 2018 ($60 on Humble) is a benchmarking gem, supplying a wide selection of each graphical and benchmarking choices—making it a way more dependable choice that the Forzaseries. It’s constructed on the fourth model of Codemasters’ buttery-smooth Ego recreation engine. We check two laps on the Australia course, with clear skies.

Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation

Ashes of the Singularity ($40 on Humble) was one of many very first DX12 video games, and it stays a flagbearer for the know-how to today because of the acute scalability of Oxide Video games’ next-gen Nitrous engine. With tons of of models onscreen concurrently and a few critical graphics results in play, the Loopy preset could make graphics playing cards sweat. Ashes runs in each DX11 and DX12, however we check solely in DX12, because it delivers one of the best outcomes for each Nvidia and AMD GPUs.

Right here’s the oddest outlier. Each AMD and Nvidia have optimized closely for Ashes, as a result of it’s used so typically in benchmarking suites, however the RTX 2070 FE solely manages to squeak previous the GTX 1080 by three % at 1440p.

GTA V

We’re going to wrap issues up with a few older video games that aren’t actually visible barn-burners, however nonetheless prime the Steam charts day-in and day-out. These are video games that lots of people play. First up: Grand Theft Auto V ($30 on Humble) with all choices turned to Very Excessive, all Superior Graphics choices besides prolonged shadows enabled, and FXAA. GTA V runs on the RAGE engine and has acquired substantial updates since its preliminary launch.

Rainbow Six Siege

Lastly, let’s take a peek at Rainbow Six Siege ($40 on Humble), a recreation whose viewers simply retains on rising, and one that also seems like the one really next-gen shooter in any case these years. Like Ghost Recon Wildlands, this recreation runs on Ubisoft’s AnvilNext 2.zero engine, however Rainbow Six Siegeresponds particularly properly to video games that lean on async compute options.

Keep in mind how I stated the RTX 20-series added true async compute capabilities to Nvidia’s lineup? It exhibits right here, identical to in Shadow of Struggle. The RTX 2070 FE is quicker than the GTX 1080 by 21.three % at 1440p decision.

Hearth Strike, energy draw, thermals, and noise

We additionally examined the GeForce RTX 2070 Founders Version utilizing 3DMark’s extremely revered Hearth Strike artificial benchmark. Hearth Strike runs at 1080p, Hearth Strike Excessive runs at 1440p, and Hearth Strike Extremely runs at 4K decision. All render the identical scene, however with extra intense graphical results as you progress up the size, in order that Excessive and Extremely flavors stress GPUs much more. We report the graphics rating to get rid of variance from the CPU.

The RTX 2070 FE outpaces the GTX 1080, however apparently, it isn’t fairly as quick because the Radeon Vega 64 at 4K decision (and solely 4K decision). With high-bandwidth reminiscence in tow, Vega was constructed for greater resolutions, and it exhibits right here—although not one of the $500 GPUs are actually constructed for 4K.

We check energy draw by looping the F1 2018 benchmark after we’ve benchmarked all the things else with a card, and noting the very best studying on our Watts Up Professional meter. The preliminary a part of the race, the place all competing automobiles are onscreen concurrently, tends to be probably the most demanding portion.

Regardless of being firmly forward of the GTX 1080 in efficiency, the RTX 2070 Founders Version sucks down rather less energy. Yay effectivity! On the opposite finish of the spectrum, the Radeon Vega 64 and lavish GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Founders Version every gobble an exorbitant quantity of power.

We check thermals by leaving HWInfo’s sensor monitoring device open through the F1 2018 5-lap energy draw check, noting the very best most temperature on the finish.

Right here’s the place you see simply how the Founders Version’s transfer to dual-fans makes a distinction. The RTX 2070 FE is a full 10 levels cooler than the GTX 1080 FE, and decrease temperatures imply much less thermal throttling. The RTX 1070 FE is far quieter than the GTX 1080 FE as nicely—a relative time period that interprets to “not unreasonably loud.” The Vega 64 reference version, then again, is a scorching, howling banshee. It’s disagreeable simply being in the identical room as the cardboard when it’s underneath load.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Founders Version overclocking

You don’t get a lot additional out of overclocking the extra highly effective GeForce RTX 2080 and 2080 Ti, however we picked up only a bit extra additional headroom with the RTX 2070 FE. Utilizing the brand new one-button Nvidia Scanner overclocking device in EVGA’s slick Precision X1 software program, we achieved a simple +160 rating on the cardboard—a frankly large quantity in comparison with what we’ve seen with different RTX GPUs. Making use of the card-customized voltage and overclocking curve introduced the bottom clock from 1,410MHz to 1,505MHz, and the increase clock from 1,710MHz to 1,804MHz, as measured by GPU-Z.

After that, we maxed out the voltage, temperature, and energy restrict sliders to unleash the cardboard as a lot as potential. GeForce RTX-series playing cards are extremely prone to energy limits. Nvidia dialed again the obtainable energy restrict for the 2070 FE. Its stronger RTX 20-series cousins allow you to increase the facility restrict by about 25 %, which left Nvidia hardware companions like EVGA and Asus little room so as to add extra efficiency. The GeForce RTX 2070 Founders Version limits you to 16 %.

With all tweaks accomplished, we noticed the cardboard operating proper across the 2GHz barrier in video games, often hovering between 1,995MHz and a couple of,zero10MHz relying on the workload. Guide overclocking and reminiscence overclocking might have pushed efficiency even additional, however we’re proud of these near-effortless outcomes of four % to five % uplift in lots of video games. Some video games confirmed no vital achieve, nevertheless.

The brand new Nvidia Scanner device comes near the utmost overclock on your GPU. All it’s a must to do is click on a button, wait 20 minutes for the method to run, after which drag a number of sliders to the best. Dig it.

Do you have to purchase the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Founders Version?

It’s a lot simpler to advocate the GeForce RTX 2070 than the opposite RTX 20-series playing cards.

The GeForce RTX 2080 Ti is the quickest graphics card ever launched, and the primary constructed for an period of 4K/144Hz screens just like the Acer Predator X27, nevertheless it prices a staggering $1,200-plus when you will discover it on the road—a $500 improve over its predecessor. Then again, the $700 GeForce RTX 2080 (which sells for $800-plus in actuality) goes blow-for-blow with the older $700 or much less GTX 1080 Ti in conventional video games, primarily asking you to pay a $100-plus premium for ray tracing and AI enhancements that aren’t even out there but and aren’t assured to blow up in reputation. They’re each thrilling applied sciences that we hope are right here to remain, however proper now, investing extra for an RTX 2080 is a raffle on what the longer term will convey.

With GTX 1080 costs beginning round $480 on Newegg, and the GeForce RTX 2070 Founders Version costing $600 at Greatest Purchase and GeForce.com, Nvidia’s additionally asking you to pay extra for the promise of ray tracing and Deep Studying Tremendous Sampling. However in contrast to the RTX 2080, the RTX 2070 FE outperforms its last-gen $500 rival, the GTX 1080, in conventional video games as nicely. You possibly can anticipate to see a double-digit efficiency uplift in most video games, and over 20 % in video games that love async compute capabilities, like Rainbow Six Siege. We didn’t check HDR efficiency right here, however the RTX 20-series presents a lot much less of a efficiency hit in these video games, too, in case you’ve purchased an HDR show.

Acer Predator XB281HK

The additional frames don’t change the core capabilities of those playing cards. The Radeon Vega 64, GeForce GTX 1080, and GeForce RTX 2070 are all wonderful 1440p graphics playing cards, with the power to push 144Hz, 1080p screens onerous. The quicker efficiency makes the RTX 2070 FE an inexpensive entry-level 4K/60 choice, too, particularly should you’ve invested in a 4K G-Sync monitor and don’t thoughts dialing graphics settings from Extremely to Excessive. That stated, on a meta degree, it’s leaves a really bitter style in my mouth than Nvidia’s $500 and $700 graphics card choices ship little to no efficiency enchancment in conventional video games, roughly 2.5 years after the GTX 1080 launched.

This testing exhibits that each one these years later, the GTX 1070 continues to be a compelling (and rather more reasonably priced) 1440p/60 choice for $380. We run our checks with each graphics setting cranked to Extremely, and the GTX 1070 manages to surpass 60 fps at 1440p nonetheless. Within the few video games the place it will possibly’t, dropping some graphics particulars right down to Excessive would push it over the hump.

We held off issuing evaluate scores to the RTX 2080 and 2080 Ti because of the delayed promise of their core ray tracing and DLSS options. We’ll challenge a verdict for the GeForce RTX 2070 FE, although. With GTX 1080s nonetheless being extensively obtainable, I’d be hesitant to advocate this higher-priced card based mostly on the promise of applied sciences but to return alone. However with that noticeable bump in efficiency in conventional video games baked in, I feel it’s a no brainer: Go for a GeForce RTX 2070 over a GTX 1080 until you discover the latter on a smoking scorching sale. The RTX 2070 is quicker in in the present day’s video games, and also you gained’t get left behind if ray tracing and DLSS achieve traction. Win-win, and never dangerous for an additional $100.

Truly, it doesn’t even should be an additional $100. Whereas Nvidia’s higher-than-reference Founders Version pricing serves as the fee flooring for customized RTX 2080 and 2080 Ti graphics playing cards, it’s really a premium with this GPU. Nvidia says GeForce RTX 2070 associate playing cards will begin at $500, and we’ve already reviewed the $550 EVGA RTX 2070 XC, which—spoiler alert—runs simply as quick as Nvidia’s RTX 2070 FE, and far cooler.

It’s not fairly as luxurious and glossy as Nvidia’s card, although. The Founders Version’s all-metal, enclosed design is a pleasure to behold and to carry, and our evaluation pattern achieved an enormous out-of-the-box overclock, although overclocking efficiency isn’t assured. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Founders Version’s all-around magnificence and vastly improved efficiency make it nicely value contemplating at $600, however yow will discover comparably performing fashions for much less.